You’re such a heel

Remember the Fendi chain heel?  Heels with flair, as seen on the spring 2008 runway, are finally hitting the stores.  Here are some of my favorites shoes from the decorated heel category.

Even though the heel is 4.5 inches, this laced up heel looks more comfortable than the undergarment.   It’s feminine but sexy at the same time. The Alexander Neels Corset Heel is available at Saks for $650

Everything smells like roses with these Prada floral heels; Available at Neiman Marcus for $590

One of our readers thought this Dior Orbed Heel reminded her of a giant thumb tack.  At $1,030 (at Saks), it certainly is a beautiful but expensive tack.

CALLING ALL SHOE LOVERS!

This idea is so so awesome I can’t wait to see it in print; I’m also kind of jealous I didn’t think of it first. I’ll definitely send in a contribution–I hope you will, too!

Calling all shoe lovers!

We’re putting together a book on our passion for shoes, and we want your help! 

If you are a REAL shoegirl, the relationship you have with your shoes is deep, meaningful, mutually satisfying. But even you, shoe aficionado that you are, have a favorite pair, the crown jewel of your collection.   

The Shoes. 

Maybe they’re the hot new heels you bought for Saturday nights out, those sweet boots you got cheap at an end of season sale, or something less flashy and more sentimental, like the shoes you were wearing when your husband proposed, or the sneakers you wore when you backpacked across Europe after graduating college. 

Whatever they are, we want to see them.  So drag them out of the closet, give ‘em a shine, and take some snapshots.  Then tell us why these are The Shoes.  Give us a little history.  Let us feel the love.  If we love them like you love them, we’ll put your shoes (and your name!) in the book.

The Details 

Send us those shoe pics and 50-250 words about why you love them.  Direct all emails to ilovemyshoes@skyhorsepublishing.com   

Include your name and email address, so we can contact you if we choose your shoes. 

Make sure all photos are at a resolution of 300 dpi (if you’re shooting with a digital camera, set the resolution as high as you can), so we can admire your shoes in their true glory.  Also, keep them smaller than 8” x 8”.   

Be creative!  Take your shoes on a photo shoot around town (or around the house).  The photo is only limited by your imagination, just keep the focus on the shoes (not that we have to tell you that). 

(Legal stuff after the jump.)

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Jonathan Kelsey Shoes for the Girly Girl in You

Getting ready for Valentine’s Day?  Hot date with your special someone?  Hitting the town to prove that you’re single and fabulous?  Well, either way, you might want to sport a pair of shoes from English designer Jonathan Kelsey.  They’re now available at Saks, and they’re full of delightfully chic and girly colors and materials.

To wit, these coquettish gray ankle-strap sandals that play a flirty game of peep-toe peek-a-boo.

Or how about these copper colored t-straps that’ll put your feet on come hither display in a little cage of suede and metallic leather.

 And for an edgier take on holiday-appropriate accessorizing, try these strappy pink open toe pumps.  They’re a little bit bondage with that 4 1/2″ heel and all the straps and strategic cut-outs.  Who knows, perhaps they’ll end the night on your boudoir floor.

If you don’t want to torture your feet all night in heels, or if you want something a bit more demure, take these pink-gold slingbacks out for a spin and see what classy people end up looking your way.

Converse One Star for Target

This year, Converse celebrates its storied 100th anniversary. While Converse is well known for their basketball shoes, they actually didn’t start off in the basketball business.

In 1908, Converse began its origins as a shoe manufacturer making rubber soled footwear. It was only in 1917 that the world’s first performance basketball shoe, the Converse All Star, was developed. By 1921, basketball player Charles “Chuck” Taylor was hired by Converse to promote the All Star shoes. In 1923, in honor of his work, Chuck’s signature was added to the All Star patch.

Other memorable dates include:

• 1936: Basketball became an official Olympic sport. The U.S. team won the first Olympics basketball gold medal wearing Converse All Stars.
• 1939: The first NCAA championship basketball tournament was held. At the games, both team wore which shoes? Yup, that would be Converse All Stars.
• 1940s: As the US entered WWII, Converse started producing not only footwear but apparel, suits, and parkas for the troops.

Fast forwarding a few decades, 1975 marked the year that Converse added “One Star” to its lineup. The One Star shoe was a low-cut performance shoe that was originally for basketball but was soon adopted by skaters seeking a different look.

Starting this year, Target has an ongoing designer collaboration with Converse to bring Converse One Star apparel and footwear to Target.

Let’s have a look shall we? For the women:

And the men:

The footwear collection just launched with prices in the $29.99-$34.99 range. Some super cute styles like the Converse Glitter Flats ($29.99) and Converse pink flowered oxfords ($34.99) are already online at Target. As for the vintage and street apparel, fans will need to wait until Feb 3rd.

For once, it’s all in the dress: The best dress of the 2008 SAG Awards

Like Shomore said, the awards season (especially one so impoverished as the current one) is kind of indifferent to shoes. The dress is the queen of the show, and everybody knows that the queen wears long gowns and although you know those magnificent gauzy trains, those shiny mermaid bottoms, those lacy, frothy ruffles hide something good and spiky and possibly quite shiny, the shoe just isn’t that visible.

However, there was a dress last night that made me hold my breath and declare it, without a doubt, la reine of the evening:

Two things crossed my mind seeing Marion Cotillard in this regal Nina Ricci gown: 1) Now, that’s a couture dress!; 2) Now, that’s how you wear a couture dress! THE END.